Modular System For Constructing Hospital Walls

• US 20070199263A1
• Filed: 05/31/2005
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hill-Rom Services Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Kramer, Kenneth, Chance, Richard, Kern, Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/628,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20070199263A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 52/234
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/0284 Cabinet systems consisting of stacked-and-linked uniform casings, each being a cabinet or drawer-holder, e.g. lockers, mail/file boxing systems
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 3/30 Screens or collapsible cabinets for showers or baths A47K3/283 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 4/00 Combinations of baths, douches, sinks, wash-basins, closets, or urinals, not covered by a single other group of this subclass such combinations when connected to water supply or waste pipe E03C1/01
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2/7453 with panels and support posts, extending from floor to ceiling
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/7483 Details of furniture, e.g. tables or shelves, associated with the partitions
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 2002/7488 Details of wiring

Abstract

A modular wall system is provided for use in a healthcare facility to divide the available floor space into rooms and to support hospital equipment module. The system includes a plurality of frame units configured to rest on a floor and extend vertically upwardly. The frame units form a grid of vertically and laterally spaced apart wall spaces having a predetermined height and a predetermined width. A plurality of modules is configured to be positioned in the wall spaces to form a wall.

Claims

1. A modular wall system for use in a healthcare facility, the system comprising:

a plurality of frame units arranged in a side-by-side relationship, and a plurality of hospital equipment modules coupled to the frame units to form a wall of the healthcare facility.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hospital equipment modules includes any one or more of the following:

a patient care module, a family zone module, a hygiene zone module, a footwall module, a clinical wall module, a door module, a windows module, a fold-out bed module, a vital signs module, and an equipment storage module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of frame units form a grid of vertically and laterally spaced apart wall spaces having a predetermined height and a predetermined width, the plurality of modules are configured to be positioned in the wall spaces to form the wall.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein at least some of the plurality of modules have a width substantially equal to a multiple, including one, of the predetermined width of the wall spaces and having a height substantially equal to a multiple, including one, of the predetermined height of the wall spaces.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each frame unit has a plurality of connection points spaced apart from each other by a predetermined height and a predetermined width to form a grid, the plurality of modules is coupled to the frame units at the connection points to form the wall.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein at least some of the plurality of modules have a width substantially equal to a multiple, including one, of the predetermined width of the connection points and having a height substantially equal to a multiple, including one, of the predetermined height of the connection points.

7. The system of claim 5, comprising a plurality of supporting members configured to be detachably coupled to the frame units at the connection points, wherein the plurality of modules is configured to be coupled to the supporting members to form the wall.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each module includes at least one pair of oppositely disposed guide tracks sized to receive an associated pair of oppositely disposed supporting members.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein a length of at least some of the supporting members is substantially equal to the depth of the associated modules.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each frame unit includes a pair of vertical members and a pair of horizontal members extending between the vertical members, the vertical members of each frame unit have a plurality of connection points spaced apart from each other by a predetermined height and a predetermined width to form a grid, and a plurality of modules is configured to be coupled to the connection points to form the wall.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of connection points include a first plurality of connection points facing a front side of the wall and a second plurality of connection points facing a back side of the wall, a first plurality of modules is coupled to the first plurality of connection points, and a second plurality of modules is coupled to the second plurality of connection points.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of supporting members configured to be detachably coupled to the plurality of connection points, wherein the plurality of modules is configured to be coupled to the plurality of supporting members to form the wall.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein at least some of the vertical and horizontal members of the frame units have access openings through which utility lines are routed for supplying utilities to at least some of the modules coupled to the frame units.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the utility lines include any one or more of the following:

medical gas, oxygen, water, sewer and electricity lines.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the vertical and horizontal members of each frame unit define an interior space, and the interior space is filled with sound and/or thermal insulation material.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the hospital equipment module is a clinical wall module comprising any one of the following:

a worksurface module, a light module, a supply pass-through module, a drawer pass-through module, a waste pass-through module, a door module and a window module.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the hospital equipment module is a hygiene zone module comprising any one of the following:

a hand washing module, a hand washing and storage module, a shower module, a paper towel dispenser module, a hand dryer module, a mirror module, a towel bar module, a trash bin module and a grab bar module.

18. A system for constructing walls in a healthcare facility, the system comprising:

a plurality of frame units, each frame unit including a pair of vertical members and a pair of horizontal members extending between the vertical members, the vertical members of each frame unit having a plurality of connection points spaced apart from each other by a predetermined vertical distance and a predetermined horizontal distance to form a grid, and

a plurality of modules coupled to the frame at the connection points to form a wall.

19. The system of claim 18 comprising a plurality of supporting members configured to be detachably coupled to the vertical members at the connection points, wherein the plurality of modules are coupled to the supporting members to form the wall.

20. A clinical wall for use with a modular wall system comprising a plurality of frame units configured to form a grid of vertically and laterally spaced apart wall spaces having a predetermined height and a predetermined width, the clinical wall comprising a plurality of modules configured to be positioned in the wall spaces, wherein at least one of the clinical wall modules is a pass-through module.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the clinical wall separates a first space from a second space, and the pass-through module is accessible from both the first and second spaces.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first space is a patient room and the second space is any one of the following:

an adjoining corridor and an adjoining room.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the pass-through module comprises any one of the following:

a supply pass-through module, a drawer pass-through module and a waste pass-through module.